Urban Drama Poster Deconstruction

Kidulthood

• Dark, dull colour scheme, mainly using black and brown. This creates a clear ominous and menacing feeling.
• The characters are all looking, most with very confrontational stances and postures, into the camera at the viewer. This emphasises the sense of violence and gang culture, an evident theme of the film.
• The white colouring of the title, tag line and billing block etc. contrasts with the black background of the poster. These contrasting colours reflect the 'good and evil' of the urban city youths and their lifestyles.
• The slight wear within the typography of the title reflects how there are definite 'rough-edges' and a sense of decay within the film's narrative and, as previously said, the lifestyle of urban youths.
• The fact that the film is of the urban drama genre is not entirely presented in the setting behind the characters, but rather is reflected in the characters' stereotypically urban clothing (e.g. tracksuits, hoodies). The violence aspect and convention of the urban drama genre is reflected in the baseball bat that is brandished by one of the characters.

Fish Tank

• The background of the main image of the poster shows a blue sky and large white clouds. This could be said to subvert the conventions of an urban drama as many similar films use, for example, grey skies to convey an ominous and gritty feeling to complement the overall nature of the genre.
• The background also shows blocks of coucil flats, a typically used convention and setting of films of the urban drama genre. This establishes the setting of the film and is one of the aspects of the poster which refelcts the conventions of the urban drama genre.
• The light-coloured tracksuit or hoodie worn by the main character reflects the lives and lifestyles of the lower class individuals which the film focusses on.
• The orange colouring of the title ties into bright colour used in the image of the bright blue sky in the background and the overall vivid colour scheme of the poster in general. The orange used against the blue background also represents a goldfish in water, reflecting the denotations created in the title of the film as well as the running symbolism of a goldfish within the film.

Ill Manors

• The main colour scheme of the poster is a range of greys, created by the powerful background image of a harsh, stormy sky. This use of pathetic fallacy reflects the violent and turbulent nature of the film as well as its genre.
• The main image of the main character of the film emphasises the film's violent nature and theme. The character's clothing (baseball cap, black hooded jacket etc.) reflects the stereotypical clothing of young urban youths in typically urban environments.
• The fact the character is holding a handgun strongly emphasises the violence within the film's narrative and the threatening nature of the film and its themes as well as the conventions of the urban drama genre.
• The blocks of council flats in the background presents and establishes the film's setting and conforms to the convention of urban drama films and the lifestlye of the stereotypically urban London youth.